Name: in Greek pteron means wing and diskos means disc; luridus in Latin and means ‘drab yellow’ or ‘dirty brown’
English: Lurid flowered pterodiscus.
Region: tropical and southern Africa; Namibia, Botswana, South Africa; Kalahari, Karoo, Eastern Cape.
Habitat: rocks; low-lying areas; in well-drained, sandy soil; requires plenty of water while in active growth; drought resistance, needs dryness in winter; semi-shaded to full sun position.
Use: ornamental, bonsai collections.
BotanyPlant, with a mealy, granular texture; covered with glands
Root: tuberous.
Stem: base is fleshy, conical, with smooth, grey bark; 30 cm tall and 6 cm diameter at the base and ± 1 cm at the crown; resembling a miniature baobab.
Herbaceous annual stems, grow from the crown of the caudex; stout,
Leaves: opposite, simple, pinnatifid; green on the upper surface, grey on the underside; dentate margins; with extrafloral nectaries at the base of the petioles, looking
like small black dots; srongly scented when rubbed.
Flower: trumpet-like, pale purple with a purple-yellow tube; flowering mid to late summer.
Fruits: rounded, 4-winged, similar to Combretum; strongly scented when rubbed or crushed, mucilage with has soap-like properties.
Dispersion: by wind.
Pollination: by ants.